Structural Commercial Establishments to be a history in Kolkata after the announcement of "Hawkers Trade License"

Kolkata: Eyeing on the polls Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee has announced to issue trade licenses to all the hawkers. There were celebrations from many quarters, some section of people hailed and applauded the decision which is in support for poor and self employed for their livelihood.

Our research team has done some analysis on the population of kolkata and made startling discoveries. Hawkers constitute approximately 2.75 lacs constituting 14% of the total population of the city. Meagre 7% of the business generated through hawkers as compared to SCE. Though they are twice the amount of people enguaged in the business, their margins are at slender 4% compared to 13% enjoyed by SCE (as per the recent data published by the Revenue department on SCE).

The Trade Associations has vehemently opposed and has written to the CM office to withdraw, citing the reasons, our research team could manage to get the copy of the letter, as per the letter. Trade Associations has claimed that they pay the exchequer by various taxes totaling to whooping 18% of their turnovers. They do legitimate business and would attract the traders from various parts of the country and thereby supporting the business units in the state.

They have criticized the hawkers saying that they occupy the footpath which is meant for pedestrians. They make the pedestrians life difficult by placing tents, covers, stuff and also stalling some parts of foot paths. Their high placed tents and canopies makes difficult for the shoppers to locate the destination in which they are intended to shop. The hawkers make the foot paths and the roads untidy by throwing all the garbage there itself. Many of them are food stalls, the hawkers do all cleaning and washing on the footpaths any thereby making the roads messy.

When the CM office has turned down the requests made by the trade associations, total city SCE’s has uniquely decided to vacate the shops, malls and want to re-establish themselves as hawkers and want to do all the business on the footpaths.

New developements has put the government and the CM office in Jinx, as per the internal sources’ information, considering the severity and the level of impact on the revenues the government has asked the expert panel of global consultancy firm Mckinsey for a best solution to fix the problem.

The state chief has publicly vehement the anger and severely criticized the central leaders for misguiding the Trade associations and threatened for the any outcome.